There's no question that Korean automakers are pushing the boundaries of car design right now. Hyundai has the crazy Sonata and Genesis is headlights that look like forks. But it seems Kia doesn't want to be left behind and will make its mark with the all-new Optima.
The Optima, sold in Korea under the K5 name, is a sister car to the Sonata. We don't know how far the similarities will go, but expect a slightly more conventional front end from Kia. On the other hand, designers are going crazy with the roof, which flows all the way to the taillights for that fastback look.
The rear windshield is sloped and round, tricking you into thinking this is a liftback. The curve of the roof is quite similar to the new Sonata, but Optima models to add a thick piece of metallic trim over the top of the doors. This makes the stamping process more difficult and will make customers wonder if they really want that boring Passat.
Rumors talk of all sort of variations after the normal sedan comes out. The obvious one is a hybrid, since Hyundai made one too. This model will combine a 2-liter making 152 HP and 188 Nm (139 pound-feet) and a 52 HP electric motor. If that's not cool enough, it promises a total range of 1,300km (808 miles) and a solar roof. Just like with the previous models, the hybrid will soon be adapted into a plug-in hybrid as well.
But because Kia really loves its European customers, it plans to offer the 2021 Optima as a wagon/shooting brake as well. Given how hot the Proceed GT looks, we can't wait for that to happen. Speaking of GTs, a rumored 275-300 horsepower, AWD Optima GT is reportedly under development. Plus, when in Europe, you've got to have diesels.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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